Entertainment And Fun

If you haven’t read my top 8 things to do in Costa Rica article, then I recommend that you check that out after you give this a quick read. It covers the tours and activities that are most commonly done in this beautiful country.

Most likely the majority of you traveling to Costa Rica will fly to Juan Santamaria International Airport and will be there for a day or night, depending on where you’ll be going to next domestically. While you’re in San Jose or the surrounding areas, what can you do for entertainment? It’s not fun to stay locked up in the hotel room. Maybe some of you don’t speak Spanish and prefer to not go out. That’s fine, but there are many fun things that you can do in the area.

Casinos

Feeling lucky? I’ve had my fair share of wins at San Jose casinos. You can find them all over and the majority of them are very nice. Nice staff, good playing rooms and free food and drinks if you play that is. Play a few hands of blackjack, try your luck on the slots, roulette, craps and poker tables. Most of the casinos will have what you’re looking for. Poker might only be available at certain times. The two casinos that I’ve enjoyed the most have been La Fiesta Casino, which is less than a mile from the airport, and La Colonial, which is located by Hotel Del Rey in downtown San Jose. Best of luck to all you gamblers! Hope you beat the odds!

Museums

Have some free time during the day? Check out some of the local museums that are located in downtown San Jose. There are plenty more located around the country, as well as San Jose with regards to art, but some of the most famous museums are located in the center of Costa Rica.  Here are the top three museums that I recommend seeing:

• Pre-Columbian Gold Museum – This historical museum has a large collection of indigenous gold art, such as jewelry, coins and other ancient artifacts. You can walk through this museum at your own pace and learn about the discovery of Costa Rica to the present day. Entrance fee is $11.00 USD.


• Jade Museum – This archaeological museum is located near the Plaza de la Democracia, which is only a few blocks from the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum. Here you will find more than 700 pieces objects made of bone, wood, ceramic, shell, gold, stone and resin. This building is five stories high and the entrance fee is $15 USD.


• National Museum of Costa Rica – This 19th-century museum holds well-organized exhibits on Costa Rica’s culture and history. You’ll see pre-Columbian artifacts and modern exhibits, as well as seeing the mysterious stone spheres in the courtyard and butterfly garden. Entrance fee is $13.50 USD.

Night Life

Enjoy dancing and loud music?  San Jose, as well as the rest of Costa Rica, has a fun night life in most cities.  Dancing runs deep in this culture at an early age, so asking someone to dance with you should be easy.  Smaller towns will shut down early at 8:00pm or 9:00pm, but larger cities have clubs that you can dance your heart out to until the early morning hours.  Have fun!

La Sabana Park

This is the largest park in Costa Rica and it’s located in downtown San Jose.  The national stadium and the Costa Rican Art Museum both draw large crowds per week with exhibitions, concerts and soccer games being played.  Also, you can find large open fields for frisbee, soccer, walking or running, as well as a skating tracks, a gym, several sports fields and tons of places to sit down, relax and have a picnic.

Live Music

Costa Rica has a lot of wonderful typical music, as well as extremely talented musicians who put on amazing shows.  There are nice  restaurants, bars and clubs all over the country that offer live music. The traditional Latin rhythms of salsa, cumbia, merengue, bolero and bachata are the most common types of music you’ll find throughout the country.  If you’re free in the evening time in most cities in the country, go out and enjoy some live music!